Sila : Five Precepts

Sila is a way of being in the world that harms no being, respects others and respects ourselves. The five precepts for lay people are a way of creating sila, and training the heart to work within skillful boundaries. They are, simply put, not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not engaging in lying or harmful speech and not drinking alcohol or taking drugs, which lead to carelessness.

I have a pretty small house and two little kids who seem to take up more space than the big kids that I know. So we’re often kind of bumbling around in there, literally bumping into each other and walls and furniture. Lately, my son who is seven, has been learning how to do a […]

“This was not the oatmeal I prefer, but I ate it anyway.” I was floored when those words came out of my 7-year-old son’s mouth this morning. E has never been a paragon of emotional maturity, and although he sees the truth in many things, he rarely seems to act in his own best interest […]

I was driving my daughter to school one day last week, and instead of taking the freeway, this time I drove through downtown Vancouver near where I live. I certainly knew how to get there through downtown — it’s not at all complicated. I’m completely familiar with the area, but I made a choice to […]